|| S H A N Z E ||

After doing my makeup, I put the dupatta on my shoulder, standing in front of the mirror. At the same time, my dear husband was also standing in front of the mirror, beside me, combing his hair and using the perfume I gifted him.

“I just smell like my wife,” He winked at me through the mirror, making me blush.

“Isn't it correct? I smell like Shanze,” He added in a teasing voice.

I rolled my eyes at him then turned to move towards the door but was stopped with a pull. I turned around and saw my dupatta in his hand. With a raise of an eyebrow, I looked at him but he just stepped towards me and caged me between his arms and the vanity table.

“Dear wife, I need another gift too," He told me shamelessly, leaning towards me.

"Isn't this perfume enough?” I asked him back, tilting my head back a little.

"It's good but not enough. One day it will finish or evaporate. Also, it's bought from my money so…,” He teased me again and moved his one hand to my hair and rolled the tips around his finger.

"So? So what? Your money is my money ok. If you deny, I'll complain to Tayaaba and grandpa,” I warned him, pointing my finger against his chest.

"My money is always yours. But what I want is something that can't be purchased from money,” His voice changed to husky as he looked deep into my eyes, like piercing my soul.

“What is it then?" I asked him breathlessly, feeling myself lost in his eyes that only held me in them.

“You. Your heart, mind, attention, thoughts and soul," He answered in a deep voice, making my heart tremble and goosebumps raise.

In excitement?

Might be.

I felt my lips and mouth dry, stopping the urge to lick my lips otherwise I knew it would trigger him and none of us would leave this room anytime soon.

There was darkness in front of my eyes but soon I realized his hand was covering my eyes.

“Don't look at me like this," His breath hit my ears, making me shiver and held the vanity with which my back was pressing.

I held my breath and froze in one place while blinking slowly but each time my eyelashes brushed against his palms.

“Like?" I whispered slowly like hypnotized who was controlled by curiosity.

“Like you will eat me in a second," He whispered in a lower voice, making my heartbeat and breath quickened.

“I–”

I flinched when the loud sound of knocking sounded in the room before I gave an excuse to deny his statement. He removed his hand from eyes and stared towards the door of our bedroom that was knocking nonstop.

“I'll check," He told me and went to check.

After calming myself a little, I followed behind him and saw Taiama. She looked very tense as she spoke to Zeeshan.

“You father and I are leaving for the hospital. You come too. Your sister has gone into early labor and is rushed to hospital for C-section. She may need your blood,” As she told Zeeshan, tears slipped from her eyes.

Zeeshan calmed her down quickly while I quickly went to grab his car keys and wallet. I handed it to him after sending her away.

“I'll come too," I told him, holding his cold hand.

He pressed his lips tightly and nodded his head. Whole drive he was silently driving while Taiama shed tears and prayed for Raina appi nonstop, sitting beside me in the back seat.

When we reached the hospital, they had already taken Rania Appi inside the operation room. Everyone was so tense and worried about her because it was an unexpected situation. Just yesterday she video chatted with whole family and the day before yesterday she came to meet everyone.

Without wasting any second, Zeeshan went to donate his blood for her in case of emergency. I followed behind him and kept him company in silence. He looked very solemn and just kept his eyes on the blood bag.

“Nothing will happen to her?" His voice was so empty with no emotions in them like he was preparing himself for the worst scenarios.

“Nothing will happen. You know she was so looking forward to her baby's birth and will make it alive for the baby. And you know how much she loves Osman Bhai. She will not let anything happen to herself,” I told him softly, holding his hand.

He raised his eyes and looked at me with emotions that I couldn't put my fingers on but I knew it was something related to heartbreaks.

"I don't want you to experience this," He mumbled, putting his other hand on mine.

I looked at him like he had gone insane in shock at Rania appi’s early labor.

“Can you hear yourself?" I asked him, giving him a pointed look.

Thank goodness there wasn't anyone around us or they would have looked at him like he was mad.

“We are still young," He said in response.

I sighed and finally decided that my husband just damaged his brain by colliding it with invisible walls.

“And what will you do if I am?" I asked him, giving him a blank look.

"My baby.. even before coming, your father despises you so much. Don't worry mummy will look after you alone,” I looked down at my stomach and faked crying, caressing it with my other hand.

“You.. you..," He held my hand tightly and tried to speak.

I raised my eyes and gave him a disappointed look then pulled my hand from his.

“You just hate your baby before it's born. I'm going to check on others,” I hmphed then went away, leaving him alone to let his mind become sane.

After waiting for an hour, the nurse informed us that the operation was successful and it was a baby girl. But due to premature birth, she was moved to NICU and Rania Appi was in ICU for 24 hours under observation.

While Taiama went inside ICU to check on Raina appi, Zeeshan came and pulled me with him somewhere else.

“Where are you taking me?"

He didn't answer but the way he was going, I knew where. Soon we stopped in front of the gynecologist room.

“You…”

‘Don’t tell me he took my joke seriously.’ I looked at him, who was explaining to the doctor everything related to my health.

From my diet to my mood then to my periods. How could I forget that more than me, he remembered my cycle date like a tracker calendar.

“Ms. Shanze, please lay there and let me do an ultrasound," The doctor asked me softly, making me feel guilty to deny her.

And I really felt guilty as I finally noticed how tense Zeeshan was looking. I shouldn't make this joke on him who took it so seriously that he made an appointment instantly.

I looked away while the doctor was doing the ultrasound and my husband was sitting with a pale face like he was holding his breath.

“Hm… It's done.”

When the doctor, I quickly adjusted my kameez and stood up.

“Maybe it's in an early stage so there is nothing shown in the ultrasound. I'll prescribe some multivitamins. Make sure to take them daily and if the cycle doesn't come next month, we'll do another ultrasound,” Doctor said, prescribing then handing Zeeshan the paper.

“You seriously believe?" I mumbled, stretching the back of my neck and looking here and there in awkwardness.

“Oh!"

I looked towards him to know if this response was from relief or..

• • •

After discharge, Taiama took Rania Appi to our house for the confinement period and took all the responsibilities of little Waniya on herself. Seeing Taiama so busy with Rania Appi and Waniya, I took the responsibilities of her other duties.

It was a busy time period but seeing Zeeshan holding little Waniya, there were some uninvited feelings aroused in my heart.

I was scrolling YouTube shorts and saw a short of a couple where the wife pranked her sleeping husband in the middle of night by saying she just gave birth to a baby. I bit my inner cheeks and thought to pull the same prank on my husband.

I borrowed a real baby-like doll from Rania Appi and in the middle of night put the doll between Zeeshan's leg and put the blanket back on him.

“Ah! Zeeshan.. Ouch! It hurts.." I faked a cry and tapped his arm to wake him.

“Wh–”

"It hurts in my stomach. I think I just gave birth,” I told him in pain which really woke him.

He sat up in panic and looked at me like his soul just left his body. I removed the blanket and the baby appeared in between his legs.

“See baby. I really–”

I was telling him by pointing at the baby but he quickly sprung on his feet and grabbed the baby then rushed to my side.

“Let's go to the hospital,” He picked me so gently like I was a delicate glass, with his pale face.

I bit my inner cheeks as I watched him making his way to the door with quick steps in panic.

“Stop! Stop! I was pranking," I stopped him quickly as he opened the door.

He froze and looked at me blankly then at the doll in my arms. Like realization hit him slowly, he put me back on my feet then turned around and went to lay back on the bed.

I closed the door and pressed my lips together to stop myself from laughing. I approached him slowly and leaned towards him who had his eyes closed with a frown.

“Don't be angry please. And how can you forget I am on periods and didn't notice the doll was between your legs,” I poked his frown face.

"I thought it was real and serious. Don't do this again now. Never wake a sleeping person and give them a blow like this,” He said then pulled me with him on the bed and wrapped his arms around me.

“Acha na. I'm sorry," I apologized, moving my head back a little to look at him.

“Shh.. sleep. If not for your month cycle, I would have given you a reason to sleep and tired then,” He patted my back and kissed my forehead.

I still couldn't get how this man could speak such sentences like this in such a calm voice like he was discussing meal times.

Our days passed like this and thankfully he realized after my monthly cycle that I wasn't expecting and was really kidding. And I also realized to never pull a prank or joke on this man otherwise he would take them seriously.

I was instructing the servants to clean when my phone vibrated. It was a message from the CR (Class Representative) of my university.

CR: Hey GR
CR: Some fellows want 2 get 2gthr u in?

(GR means girls representative)

Me: When and where?

CR: nxt week hightea
CR: [Location]

All university fellows spread all over the world. Some were in different cities and some left the country. And some like me married right after graduation.

Me: ok

That night I told Zeeshan excitedly but his reaction poured cold water on me.

“No. You aren't going.”

"What?” I put my phone down and looked at him in question.

But his attention was on the documents in his hands.

“I said no. Means you aren't going," He repeated.

I moved towards him and took the documents from his hand, standing in front of him.

“Shanze! Can you please stop being a kid? Here I am worried about the crisis of the company but you are arguing to go out with your former classmates,” He stood up and snatched the documents back in anger.

I looked at him blankly and couldn't proceed for a moment but before I could speak, he walked past out of the room. I clenched my fists tightly and went to lay on the bed. I turned the lights off and closed my eyes with the duvet covering, till my head.

I changed sides every minute later but stopped and held my breath, pretending to sleep when I felt the bed dipped like someone sat beside me.

“You'll suffocate yourself,” His voice reached my ears as he pulled the duvet down.

"Don't think I don't know about one of your classmates sending a proposal to your house and trying to woo you in university days. I don't want him to see you again that's why I rejected,” He caressed my head and told me but I kept my eyes closed.

“..ok you can go. I'll drop you. Good night,” He kissed my forehead then went away.

. . . . . . . . . .

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